Rhonda,
Thank you for your question.
The quick answer is, “One must change the way one thinks about time”.
Time is a concept. Time is an underestimated abstraction.
Now, I recognize this sort of theoretical mumbo-jumbo will not be helpful so I will limit it [for now] and only make a few points. First, a century ago, Einstein altered the way Man considers time. The way Man viewed time before Einstein is an example of what I mean by an ’underestimated abstraction’. And, Einstein only scratched the surface of time…granted he made a huge scratch.
Here’s another point, not quite so theoretical: a person’s perception of time is influenced by many things.
Here are a few examples:
- People facing imminent danger often experience time in slow motion
- As we get older it seems time moves more quickly
- When we enjoy experiences time moves quickly
- When we are in pain time moves slowly
In the same way we can accept situations alter our perception of time, we can also accept our mind, the human brain, is a tool that links each human being to time.
Each of us has a unique personal relationship with time.
So, if we can change the way our brains work then we can change the way we perceive and experience time.
An example: if we accept people perceive time as if it were moving in slow motion when they experience extreme stress such as being robbed at gunpoint then is it possible those same people could create for themselves the same mindset without the extreme stress? The answer must be, Yes – that is possible.
Another point with practical value: I believe a person’s self-esteem influences the way that person experiences and uses time. The higher the person’s self-esteem the more effective the person’s time will be used.
So, the first practical thing one must do is work on maximizing one’s self-esteem.
Some successful people were born with a predisposition to possess high self-esteem. I am sure that has not been proven…but I believe it is true.
Other successful people learned how to maximize their self-esteem either unconsciously or through conscious effort. Again, I doubt this has been proven…but I believe it is true.
Regardless, each of us can work at maximizing our self-esteem.
Two more points:
- Considering self-esteem, many human factors come into play: personal strengths, confidence, mood, vested interest, etc.
- Some time-management gurus claim the act of employing personal time management has a very positive impact on one’s ‘mindset’…Brain Tracy, for example. Success at managing how one uses one’s time could tend to increase one’s self-esteem. Even if that isn’t true there are other benefits, which have been catalogued by the time-management gurus. So, Yes, for a number of reasons it is a good idea to commit to personal time management.
Time management is a misnomer. Better to approach this as ‘personal organization’.
Think about Napoleon Hill’s observation…when required to sum it up in one word he said successful men and women were ‘organized’. That is, successful people appeared to live organized lives.
I hope this helps.
Rick